Steering Components

So I know most people recommend going OE for steering components (tie rods, sway bar links, ball joints). This is where I was looking before.
https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/search?search_str=Suspension Control Arm Bushing&ptid=7532

They are very expensive and kind of out of my budget. What aftermarket brand you recommend?
What I want to intsall:
-Lower ball Joints
-LCA bushings
-Outer and Inner tie rods
-rack and pinion bellow
-Sway bar bushings???

Thanks

 

I know moog has all those parts pretty cheap. I just replaced the sway bar bushings with polyurethane ones, which is the primary reason to choose aftermarket. The aftermarket parts also usually include design improvements that may not have superseded part #s for OEM.

Why are you replacing some of those items? rack and pinion boots usually outlast the seals unless a sloppy mechanics has torn them. Replacing the entire LCA is easier than pressing out bushings - and they're cheap.

If there's a problem with the rack, you should replace it now as you'll need to move it to get the LCA bolts out (from the FSM, I haven't actually tried it).

 

@Richid thank you for the quick response. Moog does have good prices, thank you for the recommendation! I am replacing most of these items because I have almost 200k miles on my truck without any upkeep. I am replacing suspension soon so I thought I might as well while I have everything taken apart. The rack and pinion boots are torn, probably from a sloppy mechanic that this truck was taken to by the previous owner. Do you think some of these parts are not necessary to replace?

 

I have had good luck with some Moog parts. The OEM parts that are close in price, go OEM. If there's a big difference between them, go Moog if you need to save the money. The jobs are not fun and are less fun to redo when cheap parts fail. Worth the money to do it once and forget about it for another 100-150k miles.

 

I’ve only got Moog inner tie rods and stabilizer links. I’m on my 2nd set of links, they didn’t last as long as OEM but were much easier to remove and had a lifetime warranty....now if I only kept the receipt! The ball joints and outer tie rods are OEM. Moog has always been known to one of the better aftermarket manufacturers. I’ve been using them since the 80s.

 

The only OE suspension part I would NOT use aftermarket is ball joints. Aside from that, I would have no hesitation running a premium aftermarket brand such as moog or NCP (Napa chassis parts).

 

@KNABORES @Jack McCarthy @SouthPaw Thank you all for the help. Moog sounds good. I will probably go with them except for ball joints. Hoping to do replace everything this summer!

 

Not trying to hijack but I was wondering.....I drove my DC into town for some grub today and it was pretty windy. I'm getting a bit of play in my steering wheel. Had to correct quite a bit while driving straight. When I got home I looked underneath and none of my steering components look worn or loose right off the bat. I started looking more into and found a toyota forum thread about slop in the steering column slip joint shaft or perhaps the tilt wheel mechanism. Toyota Timee(spelling?) had a video on putting a couple of spot welds in the shaft and using a plastic shim on the tilt mechanism. One poster in the thread mentioned trying this on his 05 DC but was unsuccessful. Any ideas?

 

Wind will make your truck blow around. Situation Normal if play is less than 1” per FSM.

Leave your stuff alone.

 

I think one of my lowers is bad. Looking through the comments and other research (anecdotal, I know) - I'll take @KNABORES recommendation to go OEM. Looks like they are only$85 ea anyway. I went Moog for the bushings on the front as they were polyurethane instead, but for parts it looks like OEM is the only safe bet - especially for the lowers.

 

@Richid Do you have a link for where you bought your lowers? Those are a good price.

 

Check your local Toyota Stealer that participates in the TOY Parts Programme. Shipping is free with a local pick up in my area. OEM Parts are reduced in price and supports local business.

 

Yes - my sorta local dealer has this pricing but NOT for pickup, you have to get it shipped from their largest shop. They do VIN verification which is nice too. Some dealers participate, but offer very little discount.

I go through Boch (https://toyotaparts.bochtoyotasouth.com/) as I live in the Northeast and they ship from the MA/RI line, so everything is only a day or two away.